Perforated sheets in cars and commercial vehicles

Bionics in vehicle construction with perforated sheets Perforated sheets are indispensable in vehicle and mechanical engineering

2024-05-02 Source: Press release | Translated by AI 3 min Reading Time

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Perforated sheets are a design and styling element with various functions and shapes in the automotive and commercial vehicle industry, such as a hexagonal honeycomb structure, inspired by nature.

The image shows a ready-to-install ventilation grid with hexagonal perforation from Schäfer Perforated Sheets.(Image: Schäfer Werke GmbH) — The image shows a ready-to-install ventilation grid with hexagonal perforation from Schäfer Perforated Sheets.
(Image: Schäfer Werke GmbH)

Perforated sheets are sheets with punched out openings. However, in detail, accuracy and solutions adapted to the area of application are required. This brings into play the advantages of perforated sheets in practice, including

Functionality,
Durability,
Stability,
Lightness.

Perforated sheets from Schäfer are particularly used in commercial vehicles, such as construction and agricultural machinery. These must function under corrosive conditions with loads from chemicals, wetness, dirt, and mechanical influences.

A prominent example is the off-road vehicle Grenadier by Ineos Automotive, which is manufactured in the former Mercedes-Benz factory in Hambach. Nine individual protective and ventilation grilles are visibly located on the front of the vehicle. They are optimized for air flow for engine cooling. In addition, they permanently protect the engine from mechanical influences as are common in off-road everyday life. The grilles are produced in Neunkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, and delivered ready for installation.

Bionics - Biology and technology in perforated sheet

Each type of hole has specific applications and offers individual advantages. A diamond-shaped perforation allows a free cross-section of almost 75 percent. In other words, one square meter of perforated sheet is then made up of 25 percent metal. 75 percent is open area, which explains the weight reduction. With the hexagonal perforation Hv 6.0 to 6.7, the free cross-section and thus the weight reduction can be increased to over 80 percent, thereby optimizing air passage and increasing stiffness. In addition, Schäfer achieves a protective effect against mechanical influences by objects with a diameter of more than six millimeters.

"Originally, a diamond-shaped perforation was planned for the Ineos Grenadier engine protection. Of course, we could have supplied this. However, in the design-in process, we worked out the advantages of the hexagonal perforation for this application together with the engineers and designers from Ineos," says Torsten Schoew, automotive expert in the field of engine protection and cooling at Schäfer Perforated Plates. "The achieved increase in air throughput of more than eight percent has a measurable effect on engine cooling. The engine operates more efficiently as a result and is just as well protected against stone chipping as with the diamond perforation," explains Schoew.

The challenge in the production of the hole pattern Hv 6.0 to 6.7 is the ratio of hole size (6 millimeters), material thickness (1.0 millimeter), and web width (0.7 millimeters). The 0.7 millimeter fine webs must not tear during production. They must withstand external influences even in harsh environments.

Manufacturing know-how and refinement for durability

In the production of perforated sheets, metal stamps are mechanically pressed into the smooth sheet metal surface using pressure. This creates the specific hole patterns. At the stamp exit sides on the underside of the sheet, process-related breakout burrs occur. At Schäfer, these are deburred in a further step as standard in production. Only now, according to the manufacturer, further processing using chemical or electrochemical methods is recommended for permanent corrosion or oxidation protection of the perforated sheets.

The prerequisite for long-lasting solutions is high-quality perforated sheets. The starting material comes from within the Schäfer Werke Group from EMW Stahl-Service-Center, one of the largest factory-independent steel service centers in Europe. EMW has an average of over 300,000 tons of thin sheet metal (0.25 to 16 millimeters) ready to call off in almost all marketable grades. The perforated sheet metal business area also benefits from this.

Among many other steel grades, Magnelis flat steels from Arcelor-Mittal are also processed, which are also available via EMW. Magnelis flat steels are characterized by self-regeneration at cutting edges and are therefore supposed to be particularly corrosion-resistant. The perforated sheets can be provided with the common RAL color tones from the factory. There, they were manufactured with different hole patterns. According to the manufacturer, the permanent corrosion resistance was tested and certified by independent third parties using a salt spray fog test.

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Complexity in diversity

The company's product range includes over 400 immediately available perforated patterns. These are designed as round, square, diamond, long or hexagonal perforations. For processing

Steel,
Stainless steel,
Aluminum,
Copper,
Zinc,
Brass and
Plastic.

The company has an in-house design department with application specialists responsible for the development of customer-specific patterns and optimization in case of high complexity. According to their own statements, this makes almost all conceivable applications and design wishes feasible.